Object

Courtroom Disposal Chute

A small, built-in metal receptacle recessed into the courtroom furnishings with a hinged flap and narrow throat, roughly the size of a satchel opening. Polished chrome rim catches pale light; internal chute descends out of view. Picard snatches an item and thrusts it through the flap, using the chute as a visible, irrevocable gesture that silences and unsettles those gathered.

3 appearances

Purpose

A fixed waste/receptacle mechanism designed for on-the-spot disposal of small physical items or refuse within the courtroom environment.

Significance

Functions as a potent rhetorical device: the physical act of consigning an object to the chute dramatizes arguments about disposability, status, and moral worth. The gesture reframes the legal hearing into an ethical crucible and forces witnesses and the judge to confront the human stakes behind abstract claims.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Picard Turns the Courtroom into a Moral Crucible

Picard theatrically picks up an unspecified object and flings it through the courtroom disposal chute to symbolize Maddox's claim of expendability; the chute functions as a physical, rhetorical device converting abstract claims into visceral demonstration.

Before: Closed and idle; accessible in the courtroom wall, unused until Picard activates it.

After: Used — an item has been deposited and removed from sight; the action leaves an impression on the courtroom dynamics.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Cross-Examining Sentience

The courtroom's disposal chute is used by Picard as a rhetorical and physical gesture when he picks up an object and tosses it into the throat of the chute, dramatizing Maddox's characterization of artificial beings as "expendable".

Before: Closed and idle in the courtroom wall/furniture.

After: Audibly activated as the thrown object disappears down its throat; chute returns to closed/idle state.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Judgment: Defining a Person

Picard uses the disposal chute as a theatrical device: he picks up an object and deliberately throws it down the chute to demonstrate the casual expendability implied by Maddox's argument, converting a metaphor into a physical act that shocks the court.

Before: Closed and integrated into the courtroom furnishings, unused.

After: Object thrown into the chute and disposed of; the chute returns to passive status after the action.

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